Ethanol (EtOH) is a recreationally ingested compound that is both teratogenic and carcinogenic in humans. Because of its abundant consumption worldwide and the vital role of stem cells in the formation of birth defects and cancers, delineating the effects of EtOH on stem cell function is currently an active and urgent pursuit of scientific investigation to explicate some of the mechanisms contributing to EtOH toxicity. Stem cells represent a primordial, undifferentiated phase of development; thus encroachment on normal physiologic processes of differentiation into terminal lineages by EtOH can greatly alter the function of progenitors and terminally differentiated cells, leading to pathological consequences that manifest as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and cancers. In this review we explore the disruptive role of EtOH in differentiation of stem cells. Our primary objective is to elucidate the mechanisms by which EtOH alters differentiation-related gene expression and lineage specifications, thus modifying stem cells to promote pathological outcomes. We additionally review the effects of a reactive metabolite of EtOH, acetaldehyde (AcH), in causing both differentiation defects in stem cells as well as genomic damage that incites cellular aging and carcinogenesis.

中文翻译：

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酒精和乙醛对干细胞状态的修饰。

乙醇 (EtOH) 是一种娱乐性摄入的化合物，对人类具有致畸和致癌作用。由于其在世界范围内的大量消费以及干细胞在先天缺陷和癌症形成中的重要作用，描述 EtOH 对干细胞功能的影响目前是一项积极而紧迫的科学研究，以阐明导致 EtOH 的一些机制毒性。干细胞代表了原始的、未分化的发育阶段；因此，EtOH 对分化为终末谱系的正常生理过程的侵蚀可以极大地改变祖细胞和终末分化细胞的功能，导致表现为胎儿酒精谱系障碍和癌症的病理后果。在这篇综述中，我们探讨了 EtOH 在干细胞分化中的破坏作用。我们的主要目标是阐明 EtOH 改变分化相关基因表达和谱系规范的机制，从而修饰干细胞以促进病理结果。我们还回顾了 EtOH 的反应性代谢物乙醛 (AcH) 在导致干细胞分化缺陷以及引发细胞衰老和癌变的基因组损伤方面的影响。